Every so often I hear something in the gospel explained in a way I've never thought about before, and it always sheds light on whatever topic it's about. This blog is to record and share those great realizations.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Remission of Sins

One of the things I've had trouble wrapping my head around is how we can continue to repent for sins we commit after we've committed and repented for them before. Did we really repent if we were weak enough to do it again? If that's the case, should we hold off repenting until we are 100% positive we won't commit that sin again. And how could we be 100% sure we won't do something again that we obviously have a weakness for? If the Lord knows all, He knows we'll commit the sin again even as we are in the process of repenting for it. How then can we really receive a remission of our sins?

Today in Relief Society we were talking about just that. Our teacher compared mortality to a chronic disease or condition. If we have some kind of health condition, by doing what our doctors tell us, we can have a remission of that condition. That IS NOT a cure of the condition, and there is no guarantee that it won't come back. But when/if it does, we can return to our doctor, get the medical help we need, and send the condition back into remission.

It's the same with us and sin. We are mortal (our condition/disease), and even when we are at our best, we are still susceptible to a 'relapse' of our mortality (sin). We can go to the Lord, our doctor, and get the tools we need to obtain a remission of our sins. But that remission IS NOT a guarantee that we will never struggle with that sin again or never commit it again. But, when/if we do, we can return to our Heavenly Father and receive a remission of that sin again. However, just like a health condition, when we are doing well, the last thing we want is to do is something that will put us back in pain. We will/should do everything in our power to not do that thing. Unfortunately, our mortality sometimes gets the best of us and we do end up in pain again.

Heavenly Father knew that we'd struggle with the same sins throughout our lifetime which is why He gives us a remission of our sins. Doing this gives us enough leniency to fall during this learning process and not be condemned for it as long as we take the steps to correct it. This is just another testament to me of the love our Heavenly Father has for us.